Caius laughed, and then laughed again at both the remarks about Genesis’ reputation, and how the Dragonblades would be perfect for a “do-gooder” like Angeal. “The giant sword? I noticed he doesn’t use it” Caius inquired, still curious about the nature of Angeal’s strange weapon choices. So it was about rust? Interesting. “I know some good weapon polishing techniques that can reduce the wear, I had far too much time on my hands and needed to make the most of very poor weapons under… Well, very strenuous circumstances, to say the least.”

He didn’t really agree that turning someone’s skull into a watermelon, and a toe stub rager were all that similar, so Caius didn’t quite have a response to that one. But it seemed his interest in the wing did pay off in the form of Genesis actually being eager enough to describe how it had been made. “Shinra science” didn’t seem like a good thing though, considering their previous conversation about the organization. In fact, considering the bits about human experimentation… Well, when that little thing popped back into Caius’ mind, he openly winced. Eugh, he didn’t want to think about what had gone into creating that wing. “Sounds… Painful” came his best attempt at empathy for what Genesis might have gone through.

However, any talk of Etro was interrupted when Genesis suddenly had enough and went off at him about worthiness. “Thanks… I think?” Caius responded to what he was pretty sure was supposed to be flattery. Oh, and apparently that wasn’t an angel wing. “I still think it’s cool,” Caius then muttered, just loud enough for Genesis to probably pick up. But he had barely gotten that out of his mouth before Genesis had undid the buckle. Apparently the end really was nigh.

“Hey, watch your wing-”

Maybe “stop” might have been a more apt choice of words, but Caius wasn’t foolish enough to think he could talk Genesis into putting his buckle back on with him moving around like that. Fortunately, Genesis didn’t get his wing caught on the glider as he went into freefall. Sorry, did I say his buckle? Nope, it was for the both of them. Caius realized this pretty quickly when the flap of Genesis’ wings after being wrenched back kicked up a strong enough wind to kick the harness around and cause Caius to fall out as well, with the harness caught around his legs and restricting his movement.

“Oh shi-” slipped out as the kingsglaive did the first thing his instincts told him. Which was to summon his gunblade, summon a change in ammo and fire a flare into the sky. It quickly exploded in a blast of energy, but Caius wasn’t too trusting about whether that would save him as he hurtled towards the ocean. “Would be real nice to have His Majesty’s armiger right about now” Caius talked himself through his nerves as he prepared his Plan B. The closer he got to the ocean and the issues that came of falling from that height, the more likely they were too far from the mainland. Caius could faintly pick up screaming from the direction of the boat, muffled by the wind whistling in his freefall. Caius took a deep breath to calm himself as he held out an arm to prepare a weapon. The glaive began scanning the landscape – and then the ship – for the right point to…

Something large suddenly shot past Genesis at breakneck speeds and caught Caius in its talons mere inches from the water’s surface. The creature slowed down after grabbing Caius, revealing a big blue dragon.

“I think that’s a record,” Caius breathed out, trying to catch said breath now that he was no longer free-falling. “Thanks Vordun” came next as Caius clambered onto the scaly creature’s back, reaching down to scratch behind their ears. “You don’t have a saddle, so fly slow okay?”

Better off without, huh? Caius half-chuckled a bit at that thought. “Considering what we know now? Probably for the best. Compared to the rest of the family, you made out like a bandit though” Caius pointed out with a bit of cheek, only half serious. “Full use of the Power of Kings, mainly that armiger thingy. I can’t do it, I already tried well before today” he humorously admitted, snapping his fingers to summon his own weapons and let them float around him a bit. “I’ll improvise something, though. Even if it doesn’t beat the real thing. So you’re doing ok – being crystal transported aside. More than once, apparently, this one girl called Renitra was talking about you being sent to somewhere called Eorzea. How… Many places have you been portalled to?” he couldn’t help but ask, though the question was a touch overshadowed by the story to come.

Maybe they could review Eorzea horror stories later.

Noctis brought up an interesting question. How -did- he become tainted with the scourge? Caius shrugged at that. “I don’t know. I was on Zephon a year or so before I ran into him, so he either was consumed by it here, or managed to preserve it somehow. If he had been experimenting on himself after the Empire fell…” he trailed off, cutting himself off before he could go too deep into that line of thought. That was a bit too much for one day.

Noctis suggested taking a break, and Caius nodded slowly. He had blown out all his energy, both physically and mentally. And honestly, he was barely keeping himself upright. “Yes, I think that’s best” Caius agreed quietly as he tried to get himself to his feet. He wobbled a bit, clearly still a bit disoriented, but he grabbed what he could to support himself and get himself upwards. “We’ll talk more and figure out next steps next time. I think… I need a stiff drink. And a very long nap. I’d check myself into an inn if Yuna wouldn’t hunt me down the second there was room in the clinic, so I’ll probably head there if you need me. I’ll check in on Ignis while I’m there.”

Some kind of creature popped out of a bag and started smacking Renitra. Caius didn’t really know what to say or do about that – or the interaction that followed. Caius noted that if her only company for quite some time was some sort of lemur, it was little wonder she was as… Eccentric, as she was. Caius had still barely even remotely processed the psychological damage that came from years of your only real company being a beat up junker car that can’t speak.

She claimed that she had gone through a lot, too much for a normal person. Or a Kingsglaive. And that got a small laugh out of the actual Kingsglaive. “Trust me when I say — the more people you meet here, the more that will be true of them as well” Caius pointed out. If she knew the whole depths of the shit he’d seen, she’d realize he hadn’t exactly lived a normal life either. “I’m supposed to be dead, for one. I died, straight up. Had a hole in my chest and everything” Caius pointed out, as-ever with the bluntness of a hammer.

Renitra introduced Oleg, and Caius greeted the lemur thing with a wave. “I have an animal companion of my own, he isn’t here right now though” Caius chimed in, conveniently leaving out just what they were. Renitra would probably find out eventually. So then came the big question.

“To put it simply. The Noctis you met and the Noctis I knew are from different times. By what you’ve told me, you met him during their journey to fight the starscourge. I met him towards the end of that journey… Ten years later” Caius started out with, because a ten year timeskip is just the absolute best way to start a story. “Noctis spent a decade inside the crystal, returning with full command of his power and ready to end the starscourge. I was young, stupid, and I made an impression on him in the battle that ensued.”

Caius pulled at his collar to reveal a glowing red claw-like scar on his neck. “The enemy had enslaved the Infernian, Ifrit, and set it upon Lucis. So I had the bright idea to try and take it down. With no magic or kingly powers whatsoever. How I survived that act of foolishness, I don’t actually know.”

After dealing with everything that had happened with Noctis, Caius had visited Ignis only to be led to another startling revelation: The gods of Eos had intended for Noctis to die as well. Caius' already crossed boundaries had gone even further, and he had begun to find that he actually detested the deities that had governed Eos for millenia, and the prophecy that he himself had for years championed. His hatred was starting to extend to his ancestors in the Lucian line too, all those stuffy ring ghosts who refused to help them fight the starscourge in full just because of some stupid prophecy and pure blood supremacy or some shit. Who gives a damn about that, really? There was a starscourge that needed to be fought and there were two Lucis Caelum here to fight it. But adherence to their stupid biases and stupid prophecy won out in the end. All while being fully aware of, and in on, that this prophecy would end in Noctis' death just as much as it did Caius and his family. A revelation that had shattered Caius' heart into pieces.

How did he cope with that? How did he even begin to process all that he had seen just in the last 24 hours? And then to make matters worse, Yuna had overheard everything and then, of all people? Alex showed up. And that was an absolute shitshow to deal with. But with that handled for now, Caius was ready to return to Torensten and get some long-needed sleep. He had agreed to take Serah home as well, as she needed to get back to her job at the school.

So Caius had met up with Vordun in the outskirts of town, and together, the two began making way for the cabin. Caius had decided to walk, wanting to clear his head. The dragon was obviously quite confused as to why they weren't flying, but still bumbled alongside its master without a further thought in its head. As the cabin came into sight, Caius had begun watching the road they had been walking next to. He would point out to a pink car that zoomed by them.

“Apparently they call that a pink punch bug,” Caius explained to Vordun, who didn't understand at all but kept padding along as Caius tapped a hand to Vordun's shoulder. “I think it goes... Punch bug, Vordun, no punch back.”

Vordun, of course, would turn to stare at Caius, then raised a big claw and tried to shove Caius with it.

“No Vordun, no punch back" Caius tried to correct the dragon. Vordun tilted its head as the dragon lowered the claw. Only to suddenly raise it again and slam it straight into Caius, sending the kingsglaive flying and crashing into a conveniently placed pile of hay. Caius emerged from the hay and spit out pieces of it, shooting Vordun a glare as the creature stared at him with blank eyes.